Different Ways of Knowing: Why Personal Experience Matters in Mature Spirituality
In the journey of faith in the LDS faith tradition, we often emphasize doctrine, scripture study, and intellectual understanding. While these are important, they represent only part of the spiritual experience. In Episode 124 of Latter Day Struggles, Valerie and Nathan explore the five components of mature spirituality, highlighting the critical role personal, embodied experience plays in deepening faith and spiritual growth.
Spirituality is not just about what we think or believe—it’s also about what we feel, experience, and live. Recognizing the legitimacy of emotional and embodied knowing can transform how we relate to our beliefs and to the divine.
The Five Components of Mature Spirituality
Valerie and Nathan describe mature spirituality as encompassing these five key elements:
- Resonates from Within
Mature spirituality arises from personal experience and inner resonance, not simply external pressure or rote practice. It calls us into deepening relationship with the divine in a way that feels authentic and alive. - Invites the Numinous
It opens us to moments of sacredness and awe—those experiences where the ordinary feels touched by the extraordinary, inviting us forward on our spiritual path. - Opens Us to Mystery
Rather than demanding fixed answers, mature spirituality embraces uncertainty and mystery. It encourages openness to different ways of experiencing the divine, honoring complexity and paradox. - Asks Us to Grow Up
This kind of spirituality calls for personal responsibility, discernment, and the willingness to question inherited beliefs. It moves us beyond simplistic or childish faith into a deeper maturity. - Invites a Value-Driven Relational Life
Spirituality is lived out through loving, accountable relationships with others. Our faith grows as we align our values with our actions in community.
Why Embodied and Experiential Knowing Matters
Faith communities often prioritize intellectual assent—knowing about God through scripture—over knowing God through personal experience. But our emotions, bodies, and senses are also channels of divine revelation.
When we allow space for emotional and embodied experiences, faith becomes less abstract and more tangible. Our spiritual life is enriched when we recognize feelings of peace, conviction, longing, or even doubt as meaningful and sacred.
I was walking on a trail in Texas and looking at the trees. The trees here don’t get super tall. They are winding, and leaning, and weaving. Different types of trees, vines, and grasses are often woven into the trunks and branches. I thought of how I was taught to be a tall straight tree. The scripture about straight is the path and narrow the way came to mind, but I was looking out at the natural beauty that surrounded me and I had a thought. Growing tall and straight is one way to grow, but there is more than one way. It is ok to bend, and weave, and lean, and blend branches at times with those who are growing around me. There are so many growth patterns, and can there be a wrong way to grow? The observational learning from watching the oak trees on my walks helps me trust my instincts. I am the only one who can really decide what feels good to me.
Balancing Doctrine and Experience
Doctrinal knowledge can provide structure and guidance, but it can feel limiting if it dismisses personal experience. Mature spirituality finds balance by holding doctrine and experience in tension—valuing both the head and the heart.
This balance encourages us to engage deeply with scripture and teachings while remaining open to the Spirit’s movement in unexpected ways.
Humility is one of the values I was taught in church that holds value to me. “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble.” Weaknesses include paradigms that granted me privilege over other humans. Thinking I know how another human should live their life, bond with the divine, and earn the favor of God feels like an incredible lack of humility. Humility means acknowledging my privilege in a relationship and trusting the humans I interact with to know what is best for them. I show love by witnessing the beauty of the humans around me, and acknowledging my lack of knowledge in most things. My study of life and meaning is best served through the eyes of curiosity and humility. Humility helps me to be brave and vulnerable, and trust those around me do the same.
Encouragement to Embrace Multiple Ways of Knowing
If you’ve ever felt your emotional or embodied experiences were less valid than intellectual understanding, know this: your way of knowing is sacred and essential.
Embracing multiple ways of knowing deepens faith, nurtures resilience, and invites richer connection with God and others.
You are enough! It’s ok to not know what the next step is. It’s ok to struggle as you learn to trust your intuition and your connection to God. Love yourself and delight in your own unique journey. Isn’t it fun not to know everything?
Final Thought
Faith is a multi-dimensional journey that invites us to engage with God not only through our minds but also through our hearts, bodies, and lived experiences. When we honor these diverse ways of knowing, we open ourselves to a more vibrant, mature spirituality—one that sustains us through life’s complexities and deepens our relationship with the divine.
